to the sky and back
by amillionsmiles
Summary: Kai and Jinora: next door neighbors, best friends, co-conspirators and partners in crime, throughout the years. / Ficlet collection, modern AU.
1. Frisbees (Age Four)

**A/N:** Sooo, since I liked the modern AU I set up in "all those pretty lights," I've decided to write a spin-off series of sorts, consisting of a series of ficlets/drabbles taking Kai and Jinora from when they first met, at four, until around sixteen. This will be updated as I get inspiration, so keep in mind that the entries will _not_ be in chronological order. I'll make the chapter titles their ages so you can kind of follow the timeline :P ALSO, feel free to drop your own headcanons in your reviews; if I use them, I'll be sure to credit you! :) But keep in mind when you're proposing ideas/requesting a scenario that the highest age I'll be writing them at is 16. Also, I have an accompanying playlist for this fic on 8tracks, so if you'd like the link, just PM me! :)

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><p>Their first official meeting happens when she takes a Frisbee to the back of her head.<p>

"Look out!" a voice warns—too late—as something hits the base of her skull. Jinora tips forward, stunned, before she recovers and turns to see a green-eyed boy run up to her, looking sheepish.

"Sorry."

"It's okay," she says, and then, before she can think better of it: "I know you."

The boy blinks at her, confused, and in an effort to clarify, Jinora adds, "Not just because of school. You live next to me. You…you have two…" she trails off, suddenly unsure, because she doesn't know exactly _what_ this boy has. She just knows that two weekends ago, a moving van was stationed in front of the dark red-bricked house next door, and, through the blinds, she saw three boys walk up the steps and into their new home—one tall, one stocky, and one…small.

Jinora still hasn't figured out. The older boys were, well, _older_—but they didn't look like her dad. They were too young to be parents. She'd wondered, aloud, where the mom was; Jinora's own mother had rested a hand on her shoulder and explained that every family was different.

"Brothers," says the boy who hit her with the Frisbee, finishing her sentence for her. "I have two brothers."

"Oh. What are their names?"

"Mako and Bolin," responds the boy, bending to pick up the Frisbee and dust the dirt off it. "And I'm Kai."

Kai has weird hair and a weird voice, but Jinora decides to overlook it when he grins and asks, "What about you?"

"I'm Jinora, and I have a little sister who was just born. Her name is Ikki," she declares proudly.

Kai nods. "So do you live in the white house or the pink one?"

"The white one."

From further off, someone shouts, "Hurry _up,_ Kai," and Jinora starts to open her book again, ready to dive back into the pages, but it seems Kai isn't ready to bid farewell just yet, because he asks, "What are you reading?"

She shows him the cover: _The Giving Tree. _He squints at it, unsure but curious when he asks, "Is it good?"

Jinora barely manages to keep the surprise out of her voice. "It's my favorite book."

"So you've read it more than once?"

"Five times."

At that, Kai wrinkles his nose. "And you're reading it _again?"_

"Yes," Jinora says, lifting her chin a little. She knows that as far as four-year-olds go, she isn't very exciting. Most of the time, she reads during recess—there's so much to explore—but it isn't as if she'd refuse to do something else, if only someone would—

"Do you want to play with me?"

Jinora blinks. "Huh?"

"Do you want to play with me?" Kai repeats, green eyes bright as he holds his Frisbee out to her. "You can throw it back. It's really easy, just—"

"I know how to throw a Frisbee," says Jinora, setting her book down and sliding off the bench. The pea gravel crunches under her feet as she walks over to Kai, taking the plastic disc. She turns it over in her hands, running her fingers along the edges, before she cocks her wrist and _flicks_.

The plate goes spinning, flying straight and true. It's a strange balance of motion and stillness—even as the Frisbee rotates dizzily, its course hardly strays, spinning right into the expectant hands of the boys at the other end of the playground.

"Wow!"

Jinora turns to find Kai staring at her with open admiration, and she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously, folding her hands behind her back and rocking back on her heels.

"That was awesome," continues Kai, running to catch the Frisbee as it comes hurtling back toward them. He jogs back to her, clutching it excitedly in his hands. "You _gotta_ show me how you do that."

So Jinora does. And that afternoon, when she's back home, she hears a knock on her door. On the other side stands Kai, Frisbee in hand.


	2. Band-aids (Age Five)

**A/N: **Based on word-with-dragons' headcanon! :)

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><p>"Kai."<p>

_"__No."_

Mako blows a frustrated puff of air through his nose, sitting back on his haunches and burying his face in one hand. "Kai, for the last time, these are shorts too. They're just a little bit longer so they'll cover your knees."

Kai fidgets, wearing only his boxers as he stands before Mako. "I don't want to cover my knees," he pouts.

"Oh yeah?" says Mako, waving the new pair of shorts in Kai's face. "Why don't you stop scraping them up, and _then_ we can talk about what you want."

"You're mean."

"So I've been told."

"I don't want to wear those."

"Kai, it's either this or you have to stay inside. Do you want me to tell Jinora you can't play with her today?"

"No!" blurts Kai, glaring. He hates when Mako wins. Clenching his fists, he bites out, "I'll wear the pants."

"Shorts," corrects Mako, holding them out so Kai can pull them on. "There, see how easy that was?"

Kai sulks. And as soon as Mako has ushered him out the door, Kai bends over to roll up the cuffs of his pants so that they lie nicely folded above his knees. Beige band-aids run up and down both his legs—Kai bears every one proudly, small badges of honor for each of his battle scars.

Satisfied, he hops down the steps and runs over to Jinora's house. Under the shade of the porch sits Jinora, resting her chin on her hand. She perks up when she sees Kai, leaping to her feet and gathering up the two butterfly nets next to her.

Her hair is in its usual bun, and she's wearing a frilly orange and yellow dress. Kai thinks she looks kind of like the sun. Or maybe a flower. Sunflower?

"Are those new shorts?" asks Jinora, interrupting his thoughts as she comes to stand before him.

Kai makes a face. "Mako made me wear them."

"They're not green, for once," giggles Jinora, dropping a butterfly net into his hand and breezing past him. Her white sandles slap pleasantly against the sidewalk as they start farther down the street, heading for the spot they scouted out the week before. This mission has been in the works for two weeks.

They're going to catch a butterfly.

Particularly, Kai is after a swallowtail. The tiger-striped wings, edged with gray at their base, have fascinated him endlessly. He isn't sure exactly what he'll do with it after he catches it, but Jinora can probably figure that part out. Jinora's good at figuring things out.

The flower bush that most of the butterflies seem to flock to belongs in some other neighbor's yard, and Jinora and Kai fall into silence as they approach it, determined to maintain their element of surprise. Just as they'd anticipated, the delicate creatures flit from blooming bud to blooming bud—some white-winged, some buttercup-yellow, and, amidst it all, the cream of the crop: his swallowtail.

Jinora circles left while Kai approaches from the right. As Kai raises his butterfly net high overhead, he feels triumphant: a knight with his sword, swelling with glory. _Take that, Mako,_ Kai thinks, pleased that all his scrapes and cuts are bared—it adds to the atmosphere. With one fell swoop, he brings down the net—

—and hits only green leaves. The bush shakes from the force of his hit, rustling loudly, and the butterflies in the vicinity take off. Among them is the swallowtail, two steps ahead, but Kai doesn't let it daunt him. The challenge is just a better way to prove himself.

So he chases it across the street, the butterfly net cutting swathes in the air as Kai swipes again and again, to no avail. Jinora is a silent shadow behind him, save for the _slap, slap, slap_ of her shoes.

The swallowtail bobs up and down, heedless of its impending doom. Kai tracks its erratic flight with laser focus, zeroes in on the color of the wings against the azure summer sky. Things at the edge of his vision become blurred, discarded, unimportant to his quest, and he tracks the butterfly doggedly, zigzagging when it does, jumping after it, keep going, _almost got it—_

"Watch out!" warns Jinora as Kai suddenly exchanges his view of the sky and the butterfly for hot concrete. The wooden pole of the net hits the ground with a loud clatter; Kai comes up spitting out blades of grass.

Disoriented, he pushes himself up, becoming aware of a sharp pain in both his knees. Painfully, he rolls onto his back and sits up, taking note of the raised reddened bumps that have appeared, the pink skin tender to the touch.

Jinora appears at his side. "You tripped over the curb," she points out helpfully.

Kai grimaces as he tries to dust off his knees—the action hurts more than he'd anticipated, and, without meaning to, he hisses.

"Does it hurt?" Jinora asks worriedly, peering at the little bits of gravel still stuck in his knee.

"No," lies Kai.

The two of them stare at his knees for a moment longer. Kai is reluctant to move, but he should—he needs to get that butterfly. Just as he begins to reach for his net, Jinora says, almost wonderingly, "Kai, you're bleeding."

"Huh?" His attention snaps back to his knee, and, sure enough, little beads of blood have begun to well up, darkening the tender pink.

And, okay, to be honest—the sight of his own blood freaks him out. Kai doesn't know why—_knights aren't afraid of blood,_ he tells himself, and this happens to him all the time—but still he stutters: "Uh."

"Come on, let's get you a band-aid," suggests Jinora. "The butterfly can wait."

Kai accepts Jinora's outstretched hand. As they walk back home, he keeps glancing at his knees. Movement gets his blood pumping even more, and Kai bites his lip as a bead of blood answers gravity's call and begins to slowly, painfully, start its journey down his leg.

Jinora starts to turn right, onto the pathway of Kai's house, but Kai yanks her away. If they go into his house, Bolin will fuss over him and Mako will just fold his arms and raise his eyebrows and say, "_I told you so," _and Kai doesn't want to deal with that.

So, instead, he proposes, "Let's get it from your house."

"Okay," shrugs Jinora.

Inside, Jinora's mom takes one look at his legs and clucks before hoisting him up onto the counter. Jinora clambers up to sit next to him, and the two of them swing their legs as they watch Pema rummage around the cabinets for some band-aids and Neosporin.

She comes back, tin in hand and tube in the other, and bends to inspect Kai's knee more closely.

"We'll have to clean this out first," says Pema, moving around to the sink, where she wets a paper towel. Kai swivels his head, following her movement, and yelps when she presses the cloth to his knee and wipes. Unconsciously, he seeks out Jinora's hand; she returns his grip patiently. Meanwhile, Pema holds his leg still as she passes the towel over both knees, nodding with satisfaction once they seem free of dirt.

Pema moves with a strange assurance, equal parts firm and gentle, different from Bolin's fawning or Mako's air of containment. Kai wonders if all mothers are like Pema.

Once she finishes dabbing the Neosporin on, Pema opens the tin of band-aids and holds them up to Kai for his perusal. "All right, Kai, which one?"

Kai peers over the metal lip and wrinkles his nose as he discovers that they're all _princesses._ And pink. Where's the honor in pink? Knights don't wear _pink_—he needs a color befitting of this struggle, something _strong._ Or else he'll go home and there will be the double humiliation of having fallen—again—and gotten some princess's face slapped over it. Bolin will have a heyday with that.

"Kai?" says Jinora, squeezing his hand. "Which one do you want?"

Kai blinks, startled, remembering where he is. Jinora's house. These are _her_ pink princess band-aids. And Jinora's nice and smart and funny. She's cool.

So there's no reason why her band-aids can't be cool, too.

Decided, Kai points to Belle.

Pema's eyes sparkle with laughter as she places one Belle band-aid over each of Kai's knees, her gaze flicking to her daughter, who watches the whole exchange with interest. "That's Jinora's favorite princess," smiles Pema.

Kai sneaks a quick peek sideways at his friend before ducking his head. "I know."


	3. The Bus Stop (Age Five)

**A/N:** Another update because I'm on a roll and also because I probably won't be able to add anything for the next week or so :)

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><p>Shoelaces tied: check. Socks: neatly rolled around her ankles. The backpack sitting on her shoulders feels heavier by the minute, and Jinora fidgets, bouncing on the balls of her feet as they wait at the bus stop.<p>

Her mother shifts Ikki to the other hip and, with her free hand, pats Jinora's head. "You're going to be fine, sweetie."

"I know," says Jinora, blowing a puff of air at her bangs. Her voice doesn't come out brightly, as she intended it to—rather, it gets swallowed by the autumn air.

Beside her, Kai seems to have no such inhibitions. Already, he's opening his lunchbox, investigating its contents while Mako stands behind him, arms folded across his chest. Quickly, Mako snatches the fruit snacks out of Kai's grip: "Save those for lunch."

"But I'm _hungry,_" complains Kai.

"Should have eaten all your cereal."

"But it had _raisins_ in it."

"Kai, Kai, Kai," Bolin says patiently, crouching in front of the little boy and placing his hands on Kai's shoulder. "Now that you're headed off to kindergarten, this is the perfect time for a life lesson. Sometimes, life will give you raisins. And you know what you have to do with them?"

"No."

"Eat them up," concludes Bolin. And then he envelops Kai in a bone-crushing hug, sniffling, "You're a big boy now, so you've gotta eat every raisin up! Okay? Mako and I won't be there at school to watch over you—"

"Bolin…" Mako pinches the bridge of his nose while Kai bears Bolin's sniveling weight patiently, exchanging a "_what can you do?_" look with Jinora over Bolin's shoulder.

Jinora turns to look at her own sibling, who dozes peacefully against her mother's shoulder, one thumb stuck in her mouth. She won't be receiving any tearful goodbyes from that end.

Sensing her daughter's preoccupation, Pema smiles reassuringly, running her fingers through Jinora's bob. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," fidgets Jinora. "Mommy, what if I don't make any friends?"

"Nonsense," says Pema. "You're going to make lots of friends. Besides, you already have one—isn't that right, Kai?"

"Right," Kai calls back, busy zipping up his lunchbox under Mako's watchful gaze.

"Kai doesn't count," says Jinora.

Pema raises an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because…" Jinora pauses. "Because I already know him."

At that, Pema laughs. "Okay. But at least you know you'll have someone to watch over you."

"Yeah," says Kai, suddenly beside Jinora. He puffs out his chest proudly. "I'll protect you, Jinora."

Jinora pokes his arm. "I don't _need_ your protection."

"Fine," Kai amends. "We'll just stick together, then."

Jinora nods, satisfied, as the school bus pulls up, stopping in front of them with a breathy, squeaky exhale. Hurriedly, she reaches for her mother's hand, and Pema bends over clumsily, balancing Ikki's weight so she can press a kiss to Jinora's forehead.

"Bye, Ikki," Jinora whispers. Her sister doesn't respond.

Jinora takes a deep breath and starts up the steps. Behind her, she can hear Kai finishing off his goodbyes—Mako's gruff, "Don't get into trouble," and Bolin's tearful, "Tell us everything when you get home!"

In front of her, she hears: chatter. It hits her like a wave, the sound of all these children crammed under the same roof; some are rattling the windows, others are dozing off, and the rows of cracked brown seats with stuffing spilling out suddenly seem daunting. Where is she supposed to sit?

Most of the kids are too enthralled with their conversations or catching up on much-needed rest to pay her any attention, but Jinora feels the curious press of some eyes, and her gaze quickly drops to her feet.

What if she chooses wrong? What if there's something on her face? What if people think she's weird? What if—

"Where do you want to sit?" Kai's voice sounds in her ear, and Jinora snaps to attention, finding him right behind her. His green eyes survey their choices before he points one small finger at an open seat on the right side of the bus, five rows from the back. "How about there?"

"O-okay," says Jinora, and starts forward. One foot in front of the other. They make it to their destination without any incidents, and a girl with giant pigtails and a gap-toothed smile swivels in her seat.

"Hi, I'm Meng!"

"I'm Jinora," says Jinora, proud that her voice doesn't waver. Kai drops in next to her, whipping out his lunchbox as the bus doors close and they begin moving. Once they've cleared their street, he tears into his fruit snacks, depositing all the orange ones in Jinora's palm because he knows they're her favorite.

Jinora smiles at him before turning her gaze out the window and chewing thoughtfully. She can do this.

_We'll stick together._


	4. Losing Teeth (Age Six)

**A/N: **I feel a need for fluff after today's episode (KORRA BABY IT'LL ALL BE OKAY) so I'm here with the Kainora. Based on another headcanon by the lovely words-with-dragons. :)

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><p>For the twelfth time that day, Kai pokes at his tooth with his tongue, feeling the rough, exposed edges as it remains loosely attached to his gums. The space under the bed is just small enough for him to lie flat on his stomach, but the carpet isn't as comfortable as he would like, and he wriggles as quietly as he can, trying to find a better position. He can faintly hear the sound of doors opening and closing. Jinora is pretty methodical for a six-year-old, scouring each room before moving on. She'll have finished the top floor of her house by now, which means she'll be headed downstairs soon, but Kai grins, confident in his hiding ability.<p>

Because Jinora's set way of seeking is also her weakness. Kai has discovered that if he keeps moving from one hiding place to another, it drives Jinora nuts. She hates backtracking.

Another door opens; this time, the sound is closer. Kai prepares to relocate, raising himself slightly off the floor. He waits, holding his breath, for the footsteps to pad away before he begins his army crawl.

"Found ya!"

Kai's head slams against the edge of the bed in surprise. He drops to the floor, biting back a cry and clutching the back of his skull.

"_Ouch,_ Jinora, that hurt—"

A light giggle makes him frown. _Wait, that's not Jinora…_

"_Ikki?"_

"Found ya," repeats three-year-old Ikki, peering down at him, her blanket clutched in one hand.

Sighing, Kai eases himself the rest of the way out from under the bed. Crouching in front of Ikki, he brings a finger to his lips. "Ikki, shhh."

Ikki frowns at him. "Why?"

"Because then Jinora will find me."

"But _I _found you."

"I know, but you don't count."

"Why not?"

"Just 'cause."

"'Cause _why?_" presses Ikki, her eyebrows drawing down stubbornly. Her bottom lip has started to wobble slightly, and Kai tries to backtrack. Sometimes he's thankful he doesn't have a younger sibling. They are _so annoying._

"Because this is a big kids' game," Kai starts to explain, and immediately wishes he could bite his tongue. He and Jinora have learned the hard way that that excuse does not work well with Ikki.

He must have _actually_ bitten his tongue, because, from out of nowhere, the coppery taste of blood fills his mouth. Kai's expression sours as he grapples with whether to rush to the sink and spit or just swallow it. Subconsciously, his tongue seeks out his loose tooth—

—and finds nothing there. Panicking, Kai spits.

Blood sprays on the carpet, along with his tooth, small and flimsy and stained red.

Ikki screams. "_Mom! Kai is bleeding on the carpet!"_

"Ikki!" says Kai, because that's better than focusing on the blood—_oh god there's blood why is there always blood—_

Jinora bursts into the room. Pema is behind her in an instant, looking panicked, but she drops her dishrag with a relieved sigh when she spots the source of the commotion. "Ikki, go upstairs," she instructs calmly.

Ikki, still blubbering over Kai's lost tooth, doesn't need to be told twice. Satisfied, Pema crosses the room, crouching before Kai to pick up his tooth.

"Kai, why don't you go wash out your mouth?" she suggests gently.

Kai nods, although a part of him is gruesomely fascinated by the little trinket that has just emerged from his mouth. It's small and a lot less white than he imagined it would be. But he feels an ownership over it all the same.

As if sensing his thoughts, Pema smiles. "I'll wash this off for you and then you can take it home and put it under your pillow, okay?"

"Okay."

Jinora follows him to the sink. "Were you hiding under the bed?"

"Mhmm," Kai answers around the mouthful of water he is gargling. Jinora's mouth puckers as she nods, and he can tell that she's filing that away into the list of places she'll look first next time they play Hide and Seek. Darn. He'll have to start getting more creative.

Once the coppery taste is cleansed from his mouth, Kai dries his hands. Jinora tugs his sleeve as he steps off the stool. "Let me see."

Shrugging, Kai opens his mouth to let Jinora inspect it.

"Whoa," she says, fascinated, before stepping back and looking a bit disappointed. "I guess you win."

_Oh yeah._ "Oh yeah." Kai grins his now gap-toothed smile. "I lost my tooth first."

"Mine's _almost_ out," counters Jinora, opening her mouth to wiggle her lower incisor.

"If you lose yours before the end of tonight, we can call it a tie," decides Kai, feeling magnanimous.

A determined look settles over Jinora's face.

Pema returns with Kai's tooth in a plastic bag. "Will you be staying for dinner, Kai?"

"Can I?"

"Of course," smiles Pema, patting him on the head. "I'll make you something soft, since your gums might be a little tender."

Mako's stern expression appears in the back of his mind, and Kai honors it, saying, "Thank you."

At dinner, Jinora insists on eating only carrots, one after the other until—

"Mom! Dad! I lost my tooth!"

o.O.o

Kai practically flies home, eager to show off. Bolin gathers him up in an enthusiastic hug before regaling him with a story of his own lost tooth ("Lost it in a fistfight, _cross my heart and hope to die._" "Bolin, you were _six."_) When Mako and Bolin tuck him in that night, he makes sure his tooth is near the edge of this pillow—easier for the Tooth Fairy to get to.

"What do you think the Tooth Fairy will give me?" Kai murmurs sleepily, the day's exertions taking their toll.

Mako and Bolin exchange looks from over his head. "Something good," promises Bolin.

"Yeah," agrees Mako, a strange look settling over his face as he pulls the covers to Kai's chin.

"Okay." Content, Kai rolls onto his side. "Good night Mako, good night, Bolin."

"Good night, Kai."

o.O.o

He and Jinora meet the next morning to compare. Kai is happy with his haul: one lollipop and one dollar. The lollipop is great because maybe it'll help him lose another tooth, which will get him _another_ dollar. He pulls these two items from his pockets proudly as they sit on the carpet of Jinora's room.

"What about you?"

Jinora moves to her bed, rummaging under her pillow and retrieving a bill of her own. Kai nods, content—at least _he_ got a lollipop thrown in—before he notices that the number on Jinora's bill is different from his.

He squints. Now, Kai isn't at the top of his math class—he gets distracted too often when they do their addition worksheets—but he knows enough to figure that five dollars is a bit more substantial than one dollar.

Mako's face appears again. _Don't compare yourself with other people on the basis of numbers. You got that, Kai?_

But despite Mako's advice, Kai feels the tiniest amount of concern. Because, well…isn't his tooth worth the same as Jinora's? Was there something wrong with his tooth? Maybe he shouldn't eat the lollipop. Maybe the Tooth Fairy likes kids who eat their vegetables better.

A worried expression crosses Jinora's face. She looks at the bill in her hands once more, wrinkling it nervously. "I don't…really know what to do with it," she admits.

"Um…" Kai looks around the room, feeling suddenly guilty. Now he's made Jinora sad, and he hates when Jinora gets sad. "You could save it for...a-a bike, or…whatever you want," he suggests, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, whatever you want," he repeats, trying to put as much encouragement into it as he can.

Jinora unfolds the bill, thinking. Then she crosses the room to her closet, rummaging around. Kai follows her, holding his own dollar in one hand and his lollipop in the other. "What are you looking for?"

"Here." Jinora emerges bright-eyed. She sets a shoebox down and scurries over to her bedside table, rummaging around for a marker. Kai watches her, intrigued.

Jinora sticks her tongue out, deep in concentration as she drags the marker along the lid of the box. Kai peers over her shoulder, following the strokes with his eyes. When Jinora finishes, she lifts the lid and drops her five dollars in the box. Following suit, Kai deposits his money, and the two of them grin at each other as they open Jinora's closet and tuck the box far in the back, where only their eyes will know to look for the tender scrawl of a six-year-old.

_Jinora and Kai's Tooth Fairy Fund_


	5. Halloween (Age Six)

**A/N: **In light of the continued Kainora drought, here I am with some Halloween shenanigans :P As always, headcanons/ideas are accepted; so far I have blanket forts, skateboarding, a school play and a middle school dance in the works! :)

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><p>"Happy Halloween!" beams Jinora, throwing a handful of sparkles in Kai's face as he pulls the door open; Kai recoils, spluttering, before eyeing her costume. Behind her stands Tenzin, gripping Ikki's hand firmly. The hood of Ikki's ladybug outfit droops over her face, and she pushes it back, chirping, "Candy?"<p>

"I gotcha," answers Bolin, grabbing the handles of the basket sitting by their front door. He deposits a handful in Ikki's pumpkin bin, the chocolate pieces clattering against the plastic bottom.

"Are you ready?" asks Jinora.

"Yeah, just a second," answers Kai, turning to Bolin. "Bolin, where's my—"

"Here." This, from Mako, who passes along a pillowcase.

Ikki giggles. "_That's_ not a pumpkin."

"Hush, Ikki," says Tenzin, squeezing her hand. "Bags come in all shapes and sizes."

"Yeah," says Bolin, crouching before Ikki and poking her stomach. "And pillowcases are the _best_ bags, because their handles don't dig into your fingers when they get heavy, and you can fit lots of candy."

"I want a pillowcase," Ikki reconsiders.

"Maybe next year," says Jinora, who has opted for a pillowcase as well—yesterday, on the bus ride to school, she and Kai had conferred about what kind of bag would suit their needs.

Armed with his bag, Kai steps out onto the porch, his wooden sword bouncing against his thigh from where it is strapped to his hip.

"You be good now, kiddo," says Bolin. "And listen to Mister Tenzin."

"Yes, Bolin."

"Oh! And don't forget your hat!" Bolin places the green cloth cap on Kai's head, adjusting the feather to his satisfaction. "Aw, look at you!"

"_Bye, Bolin,"_ Kai says a bit more forcefully, unable to prevent his cheeks from turning red. The door closes behind him.

Once they reach the sidewalk, Jinora pulls a map from the bottom of her sack. "Since Ikki is with us, we can't go as far," she says, regretfully, "but I think, if we go like this, we'll be able to maximize our candy!"

"Maximize" is Jinora's favorite word of the week. And she spent last night plotting out a map of their neighborhood to _maximize_ tonight's haul, because that's what two six-year-olds on a mission do. Jinora also figures that Ikki, while holding them back, could still prove to be an asset. She _does_ look pretty cute in her ladybug costume, which might score them some extra candy, depending on the house.

Beside her, Kai just nods. He doesn't question Jinora's plans much. With their mission in mind, the two six-year-olds lead the way down the sidewalk, Jinora's father following behind with a watchful eye.

"What's the glitter for?" asks Kai.

"It's my pixie dust," explains Jinora. "You should know that, silly."

After all, Kai is dressed up as Peter Pan, while Jinora is Tinkerbell. It wasn't intentional by any means; Jinora suspects that Kai only picked out his costume because it was green, and, even if he didn't, she had her costume first. Pema thought their inadvertently matching costumes were the Cutest Thing Ever, which is why she made them dress up last night so she could take pictures, even though _no one wears their costume the night before Halloween, Mom!_

Her mother is really embarrassing sometimes, Jinora thinks.

"Oh yeah," says Kai as they head up the steps to the first house. "So does that mean that I can fly now, since you sprinkled some on me?"

"Yup."

"Cool."

The lady who answers the door thinks it's cool, too, because she fawns over them while handing each of them a Kit Kat. "Aren't you two the cutest things?" she gushes as Kai shifts uncomfortably. Jinora elbows him in the side.

"Thank you!" she replies.

"Take care of Tinkerbell, all right, Peter Pan?" winks the woman as she sends them off. Kai straightens somewhat, pleased to have a purpose, and Jinora resists the urge to roll her eyes as he fumbles to pull out his wooden sword and say, "Yes, ma'am!"

Meanwhile, Jinora has a theory. At the next house, she makes Kai go alone, following him up a few minutes later; after that, they go to the house across the street at the same time. Experimentation reveals that they tend to get more candy when they arrive in a pair. Interesting.

By 8:15, Tenzin turns on the flashlight, throwing Kai and Jinora's shadows on the sidewalk.

"I'm tired, Daddy," complains Ikki from behind them.

"Just a little further," urges Jinora, squinting at her map in the fading light. Her pillowcase has grown heavy with treats, while her supply of pixie dust has dwindled, and, truth be told, exhaustion is starting to sink its teeth into her as well.

Kai, however, seems unaffected. He tugs on her arm, pointing at the house at the start of the street they're approaching. Canopies have been erected over the driveway, and a man and woman have set up a table to the side, watching as children walk in and out. From somewhere deep in the garage, a scream sounds.

"Let's go in."

"No."

"Come on Jinora, _please_?" begs Kai, widening his eyes.

"I..." she looks behind, to her younger sister and her father. "But what about Ikki?"

"She can stay outside with your dad. Hey, Mister Tenzin, can Jinora and I go in there?"

"In where, young man?"

"There," repeats Kai, pointing at the house once more.

Tenzin raises an eyebrow, fixing his gaze on his daughter. "Jinora? Do you want to go?"

_No._ "Yes."

Kai lights up. The two of them give their bags of candy to Tenzin and scurry across the street, where the man and woman wave them over to the table with friendly grins.

"Hey, kids. You want to go in the haunted house?"

"Yeah!"

"All right," says the man. "You're going to start on the left side, okay? Right through the spiderwebs. It's going to be really dark, but the ghosts will guide you."

Jinora trembles. On second thought, maybe this isn't such a good idea. Sensing her fear, Kai reaches for her hand, and the two of them walk to the entrance.

"Pixie dust for good luck?" suggests Kai.

Shakily, Jinora opens her bag and dumps the rest of the sparkles on Kai and herself. Kai takes out his sword. Hands linked, they step forward; the spiderweb whispers against her face, and Jinora squeezes her eyes shut, taking a deep breath.

Everything goes dark.

o.O.o

Years later, they will argue over who screamed first. But in that moment, there are only flashing lights and fog and a howling shriek and a bloody clown leering out of nowhere and Kai and Jinora, running and running and stumbling blindly back into the cool night air. Jinora doesn't stop until she collides with her father; she buries her face in his stomach, trembling.

Kai clutches Tenzin's other leg, fear overriding embarrassment. "I'm sorry Jinora," he gasps between sobs, "we should have just gone home."

"I hate clowns!" wails Jinora, gripping the fabric of her father's pumpkin-orange sweater tighter. "Daddy, I hate clowns!"

"Shhhh, Jinora, you're scaring Ikki," Tenzin says gently, hugging Jinora with one arm and releasing his hand from Ikki's grip in order to pat Kai awkwardly on the head. "It's okay now, you two. Let's go home."

Reluctantly, Jinora detaches herself from her father. Kai follows suit, but they walk on wobbly legs, like two people discovering land for the first time. Jinora insists on holding the flashlight. Its heat and weight are comforting in her hands, and the circle of light it casts settles her nerves somewhat. Kai refuses to leave her side and twitches at every sound.

Only later, once they are back in the comforting warmth of Jinora's house, sprawled on the carpet and bellies bulging with sweets, do Kai and Jinora relax. With the sound of Pema bustling around in the background and Ikki banging away on her toy keyboard, the haunted house seems like an innocuous, distant memory, one that will fade away by morning, burned into mist by the light of the sun.

"Thanks for going with me, Jinora," Kai says, busy sorting his candy into piles. "I don't know what I would've done without you."

"Peed your pants, probably," says Jinora, and ducks as Kai throws a lollipop at her.


	6. Announcements (Age Twelve)

**A/N: **so by some miracle the past 5 ficlets have managed to be in chronological order, despite my disclaimer. THAT ENDS NOW :P far from done with little!Kainora but I'm jumping around because I can :)

* * *

><p>"You're <em>what?"<em> says Jinora, but Kai has already put in his earbuds, effectively cutting off their conversation.

Bus Buddy Rules dictate that once either of them puts earbuds in, the other person is not allowed to disturb the other unless it's an emergency. This is not an emergency.

Except it _kind of_ is, reasons Jinora, fidgeting, because, _hello_, you can_not_ just tell your best friend something and then immediately retreat into your music!

Decided, Jinora reaches toward Kai, her hesitation bleeding into determination as she yanks his right earbud out of his ear. His music spills into the air, and Jinora has half a mind to tell Kai that he's going to go deaf, listening to his iPod at that volume.

Kai shoots her a mildly exasperated look before relaxing against the seat, lifting one of his eyebrows. "_What,_ Jinora?"

"S-say it again," stutters Jinora, suddenly sheepish. "What you just told me."

"I'm going to try out for the play."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"B-because," splutters Jinora. "Since when were you into acting?"

The truth is that Kai's declaration isn't as surprising as it should be. Kai has been the king of convincing people to do things for as long as she can remember, and it only makes sense that some of this would translate to stage presence. Even now, Jinora can envision him costumed and confident, exuding a boyish charisma.

"I just want to try something new, Jin," says Kai.

Jinora barely hears him, still barreling down her train of thought. The more she thinks about it, the more she realizes that Kai will probably be a really good actor. After all, even when he's telling bald-faced lies ("No Mako, I _swear_ I wasn't the one who broke the potted plant") he comes across as genuine and earnest.

Kai trying out for the play is not the problem. The problem is him being _genuine_ and _earnest_ with…with…

"Leila Palmer will probably be the female lead," Jinora blurts before she can stop and consider her words.

The corner of Kai's mouth twitches, and his eyebrow rises again. Jinora hates this new habit of his, because it makes him look devilish and _smirky_ and where did he even pick it up, anyways?

"So?"

"So she _likes_ you, stupid," says Jinora, resisting the urge to punch his shoulder.

She doesn't know what she was expecting—maybe stammering, a blush, _something._ But Kai doesn't reach up to rub the back of his neck like he usually does when he's nervous; instead, he just shrugs it off.

"I'm not even auditioning for the male lead, anyways," Kai tells her. "I want to be the thief, not the prince."

Jinora narrows her eyes at him, because she can't tell if he's acting or not. She knows—_firsthand_—that Kai thinks Leila is cute, so what is _up_ with the negligible reaction?

But Kai's serious expression doesn't crack. Sighing, Jinora sinks back against the seat, folding her arms across her chest. "Good luck, then," she finally says.

Kai laughs, shaking his head slightly. "Thanks, Jin." After a beat, he nudges her arm and offers an earbud, which Jinora accepts, closing her eyes as Kai's music streams through her left ear.

The bus continues its jerky, wobbly journey for a while before Kai clears his throat. "You'll come, right? To the play?"

Jinora cracks open an eye to regard Kai, his face lit by the sunlight streaming through the window as he waits for her answer, genuine and earnest and a little…uncertain.

"Of course," she says, and punches him lightly on the shoulder.


	7. Blanket Forts (Age Seven)

**A/N: **STILL NO KAINORA REUNION. Oh well. Back to kid!Kainora because they're just too much fun to write :) "Blanket forts" request courtesy of words-with-dragons :)

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><p>"What do you mean Kai can't sleep over?"<p>

"He just can't, Jinora," sighs Tenzin, distracted by the dribble of food down Meelo's chin. "House rules."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"Is it because he has cooties?"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean—what—_Meelo, stop spitting out your food!"_ Exasperated, Tenzin sets the bowl down on the table, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Pema?"

"Yes?" answers his wife from the other room.

"Meelo won't eat."

"I've got it," Pema answers brightly, bustling back into the kitchen and pulling up a stool to where Meelo is strapped in his seat.

Relieved, Tenzin turns to face his oldest daughter fully. "All right, let's start from the beginning. What is it you wanted to ask me, Jinora?"

"Can Kai sleep over?"

"No."

"Why _not?"_

"Because Kai is a boy, and you are a girl, and it just isn't done."

Jinora frowns. "If it's because of cooties, Kai doesn't have them. I promise."

"Cooties are the least of our concerns, Jinora. I'm trying to set a precedent here. You don't think it's a big deal now, but when you get older…"

Jinora mulls this over. She was hoping she could use good old-fashioned logic to persuade her father, but it seems that track will not work. Summoning as much strength as she can, she stamps her foot and says, plaintively, "But I don't _understand_," forcing her lip to quiver as much as it can.

Tenzin grimaces, rubbing a hand over his shiny bald head. "_Pema."_

"Yes, Tenzin?" Pema glances at him out of the corner of her eye with a knowing smile.

"Can you _please_ explain to our daughter why…why she cannot have a _boy_ over?"

Meelo burps, satisfied, and Pema picks up the now empty bowl. "Jinora, sweetie, I'm afraid Kai can't sleep over. _But_," she crouches before her daughter, "if you two are good, he can stay until 11:00, okay?"

Jinora's eyes dart to the clock. "Promise?"

"Promise," nods Pema, pinching Tenzin behind her back before he can interject.

Satisfied, Jinora runs back into the living room, dropping onto her knees as she crawls through the space between the couch and the wall. Green eyes peek over the pillow blocking the entrance, and a voice prompts, "Password?"

"Monkey squirrels."

The body on the other side shifts, allowing Jinora to worm her way under the blanket canopy. Beneath the awning, the air is warm, and a faint amount of light filters through the fabric. Kai scoots over to make space for Jinora, drawing up his knees. Jinora dumps a stash of granola bars on the floor.

Kai looks at her, questioning.

"My parents said you could stay until 11," explains Jinora. "But maybe if you don't come out for dinner, they'll forget, and then you won't have to go home. But you still have to eat, so." She gestures to the pile.

Shrugging, Kai reaches for one, tearing through the wrapper and shoving it happily in his mouth.

"No crumbs," warns Jinora.

In the corner lies a deck of cards, a set of markers and paper, two pillows, and a book (because if they're going to hide out the whole night, Jinora will have to read the bedtime story, a job usually reserved for Tenzin). Reaching for the deck of cards, Kai begins to split them. "Let's play."

He teaches her how to play Speed and Spoons. In exchange, Jinora shows him how to make an origami crane.

They're halfway through their tenth attempt at a house of cards when Pema's voice, muffled through the pillows, says, "Time for dinner, kids."

Jinora and Kai look at each other, panicked. There's little space to hide in their blanket fort, aside from the side alcove created by the triangle where the arm of one couch meets the arm of the other. Kai crawls toward it now, tucking his arms in as close to his body as he can while Jinora answers her mother's call.

Pema raises an eyebrow upon seeing her daughter emerge. "Honey, where's Kai?"

"I don't know," says Jinora as innocently as she can.

Unimpressed, Pema crosses to Kai's hideout, her hand reaching for the part of the blanket draped over it.

"No!" cries Jinora, grabbing her mother's arm. "You'll make the whole fort fall apart!"

"In that case, tell Kai to come out right now and we won't have a problem," says Pema, trying to keep a straight face.

And so Kai ends up at their dinner table. Reluctantly.

o.O.o

Finishing dinner at 7:00 leaves them with a solid four hours. Kai and Jinora dive back under the covers of their fortress, this time for several rounds of Go Fish. After a while, they decide to turn their flashlight on to add to the ambience, and the air warms further under the blankets.

"Do you have a four?" Kai asks hopefully.

"Go fish."

Resting on his stomach, Kai reaches toward the deck. He organizes his hand before rubbing his eyes and yawning, shifting uncomfortably again. "It's really hot," he complains.

Jinora has changed into shorts—one of the luxuries of being in her own house—so she doesn't feel Kai's discomfort as much. "Maybe we can make a paper fan?" she suggests.

The paper fan does its job for about five minutes before Kai groans and rolls onto his back. Staring up at the sagging fabric ceiling, he seems to consider for a few seconds before he reaches down to wriggle out of his pants.

Jinora tries to keep her voice to a whisper; it comes out more like a hiss. "_What are you doing?"_

"Don't worry," says Kai, unfazed, "I'm not naked. See?" He shows her the waistband of his boxers. "Mako and Bolin walk around like this all the time at my house."

Jinora blinks. Well, if Mako and Bolin do it, then it must be okay, right? They're adults, after all. Adults are always right.

A sigh of relief escapes Kai as he frees himself of his long pants. Jinora studies his boxers curiously—they have fish printed on them. They're not that different from a pair of her shorts, honestly. She thinks back to her conversation with her father. What's the big deal about boys and girls?

At 11:00, Pema pads downstairs to walk Kai home. But as she looks into the fort, she sees her daughter curled around a pillow, breathing softly, and Kai fast asleep beside her, spread-eagle with his mouth open slightly. Pema smiles and reaches for Kai's discarded pants, folding them and placing them beside his head before turning off the flashlight and walking back upstairs.

She makes a mental note to be the one to wake them up in the morning, to save Tenzin from a heart attack.


	8. Skateboarding (Age Thirteen)

**A/N: **Awkward adolescent Kainora will never not be my favorite thing. :P

* * *

><p>On his thirteenth birthday, Kai gets a skateboard.<p>

Of course, the first thing he does is practice with it, because there's nothing smoother than coasting to a stop in front of someone and saying, "'Sup?" nonchalantly while simultaneously flipping said skateboard up into one's hands.

But the stopping part turns out to be a lot harder than he'd anticipated, and so, an hour later, Jinora bikes into view just as Kai stumbles off his skateboard for the fiftieth time.

"Nice wheels," grins Jinora, leaning on her bike, one foot planted on the ground. She unbuckles her helmet, shaking out her hair, which has started growing past its usual chin length.

"I can't believe you still wear a helmet," says Kai, planting a foot on his skateboard as he gets ready to try again.

"Safety first," counters Jinora, sticking out her tongue. "Happy birthday, by the way."

"Did you get me a present?" Kai wiggles his eyebrows.

Jinora rolls her eyes. "It's in the garage. You can get it at dinner. Is this what Mako and Bolin got you?"

"Yup," answers Kai, picking up the board and presenting it proudly. Jinora flips the kickstand of her bike down and walks toward him, admiring his present. She reaches out with a finger to spin the wheels, which have already become gritty with use.

"Can I try?"

"Sure. It's kinda challenging though, a lot harder than I thought it would be—" Kai trails off, eyes bugging out as Jinora pushes off as soon as he sets his skateboard on the ground. Laughing, she throws her arms out and her head back, coasting breezily as if it's the easiest thing in the world. She even bends her knees and manages to change direction, curving back toward him, eyes sparkling.

Part of Kai knows he's being immature about the whole thing. But the other part of him can't help screaming that it's _totally _unfair that his best friend can just hop on _his _birthday present and freaking…_glide._

"You know what?" he mumbles as Jinora stops in front of him. "Forget I said anything."

Jinora laughs, returning his board. "All right, your turn. Show me what you got."

And because Kai's pride is still smarting, he gets on the board.

It goes well, for the ten seconds it lasts. Spurred by some reckless need to prove himself, he pushes off as hard as he can, wobbling as he brings his right foot behind his left. Miraculously, he doesn't fall, leading him to whoop loudly as he rejoices.

That whoop quickly becomes a strangled yelp as he realizes the end of their cul-de-sac is approaching, and he has no idea how to turn. The smart thing to do would be to just abandon ship, but Kai has a habit of not choosing the smart option.

Trying to recall how Jinora did it, he angles his body, hoping he can redirect his momentum into a sharp turn. Instead, the jerky movement throws off his balance—the board skids out from him, still going straight, while he tumbles backwards—

—and is caught. By Jinora. Of _course._

Shakily, Kai straightens. "Holy crap."

"You could've cracked your head open!" scolds Jinora, eyes worried. Kai shrugs her off, bending to dust off his jeans.

"Ha, me? I'm too tough for that," he teases as he goes to retrieve his skateboard.

"You should wear a helmet."

"Oh my _god_, Jin," groans Kai, "don't start on that. Please."

"I'm serious!"

"Yeah, well. You're not going to bully me into it that easily," he says, setting up his skateboard again. "All right, here we go. Next try."

Jinora stares at him levelly, arms folded across her chest. "I don't care if you're the birthday boy. You're being _stupid._"

"Hey, that's hurtful," frowns Kai. Then, when she doesn't let up, he exhales heavily. "Okay, you know what? _Fine._ Let's make a deal. You help me learn how to master this or whatever, so you don't have to worry about me cracking my head open, and _I_ don't have to wear a helmet."

His proposal seems somewhat more palatable to Jinora, because she unfolds her arms and walks toward him. "Get on the board," she instructs. "And hold my hands."

"Okay—wait, what?"

"_Kai._"

"All right, all right, _Master_ Jinora_._"

Jinora snorts, her palms outstretched, waiting. Hesitantly, Kai places his hands over hers. Her grip is soft, reassuring; Kai swallows, suddenly self-conscious about his callused palms, the rough pads of his fingers.

"Now shift your weight more to the right," coaches Jinora, tugging him along. Her fingers tighten around his, and Kai reminds himself to breathe. Jinora's attention is focused on his feet, and _his_ attention really should be, too, except he can't remember the last time their faces were this close and the skateboard gives him enough of a height advantage that if he wanted to, he could just lean down and—

—Holy _crap,_ Kai thinks again, panicking, because a strange prickle has started to crawl up his body and _this is weird. Really, really weird._

As if attuned to his thoughts, Jinora lets go, and Kai finds himself coasting on his own. The sudden loss of Jinora's touch unbalances him, but Kai manages to come to a stop more gracefully this time, hopping smoothly off his board.

"That was good!" says Jinora, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah?" grins Kai.

"Yeah."

"Do you think—er," coughs Kai, "we could…try that again? I don't think I've completely got it yet."

Jinora's brown eyes blink at him, and maybe he's imagining it, but he swears that her cheeks get the tiniest bit pink when she bites her lip. "Um, okay."

Once again, Jinora reaches out to grip Kai's fingers as he boards his skateboard. Kai turns his head to keep his gaze on where he's heading, rather than the girl in front of him, but he can't resist peeking out of the corner of his eye from time to time. He struggles to hide the stupid grin growing on his face.

Maybe it's a little embarrassing that he's getting skateboarding lessons from the self-proclaimed bookworm that is his best friend.

Or maybe it's the best thing that's happened to him all day.


End file.
